It is hardly a news bulletin to point out that this has not been a football season to remember for the Big Ten.

Ohio State, at No. 3, is the only conference team ranked higher than 19th in the Associated Press poll, and the league’s representative in the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin, has five losses.

Not good.

That description also applies to the Big Ten’s prowess in recruiting, at least beyond Ohio State and Michigan; the Buckeyes and Wolverines have consensus top-10 classes.

But there is a significant dropoff to the rest of the conference. Scout.com’s next-highest-ranked Big Ten team is Nebraska at No. 16. ESPN also has Nebraska with the conference’s third-best class, but only at No. 24. That’s where Rivals.com has Illinois, its third-rated Big Ten team.

“It hasn’t been a banner recruiting year for the Big Ten,” said recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic of 247sports.com and Bucknuts.

The failure of anyone other than Ohio State and Michigan to assemble a top-shelf recruiting class is sobering. Then again, those hoping for a return to the “Big Two and Little Eight” of the 1970s might find the dominance of Ohio State and Michigan comforting.

“Right now, with the leadership both those programs have now, all it has done is put more pressure on those other teams,” ESPN national recruiting director Tom Luginbill said.

There’s not much evidence that the other schools have answered the challenge, though the conference’s other top programs all are dealing with issues that have affected recruiting. Wisconsin is the most obvious case because of Bret Bielema’s unexpected departure for Arkansas. New coach Gary Andersen is highly regarded, but he lacks Midwest ties. Most of Wisconsin’s recruits have stayed on board, but the Badgers will spend the next month playing defense as much as offense.

Nebraska still is trying to re-orient its recruiting from the Texas-based approach it relied on as a member of the Big 12. It hasn’t helped that some lopsided losses this season have cast doubt on coach Bo Pelini’s long-term job security, never helpful for recruiting. The Huskers also have had some bad luck. One of their top recruits, quarterback Johnny Stanton, tore a knee ligament in September.

Penn State had a surprisingly successful season, but coach Bill O’Brien’s task in State College will become more challenging as the NCAA’s severe sanctions linger. The Nittany Lions’ incoming class has remained respectable, mostly because quarterback Christian Hackenberg and tight end Adam Breneman have held firm with their commitments.

Michigan State has room for only a small recruiting class, which hurts its ranking. But the Spartans have commitments from some blue-chip players, led by Cincinnati linebacker Shane Jones.

With 26 commitments so far, Illinois has the largest recruiting class in the conference, highlighted by quarterback Aaron Bailey. But former Toledo coach Tim Beckman already is considered on shaky ground after a disastrous first season, so those recruits will need to mature quickly.

Of the other teams, Indiana might be the biggest surprise. Coach Kevin Wilson has done solid work in Bloomington, and the Hoosiers have five four-star players entering the program.

“They’re not in the top half of Big Ten, but they’re holding their own,” Kurelic said. “But those at the bottom of the Big Ten continue to struggle.”

New Purdue coach Darrell Hazell, a former OSU assistant, is battling to salvage the Boilermakers’ class of 2013.

“I think he’ll recruit well, but right now their class is not very strong,” Kurelic said.